As he plowed through his frustration with the Bears’ sputtering offense the last four seasons, wide receiver Allen Robinson saw more potent attacks throughout the NFL and took note.
He didn’t study opposing offenses, but he’d see them on film when he was scouting defenses and daydream a little.
One of those offenses that caught his attention belonged to the Rams, and as soon as Robinson had the chance to the leave the Bears, he signed a three-year, $46.5 million deal with $30.7 million guaranteed.
“You see a lot of what other teams run,” Robinson said when the Rams introduced him Monday. “So being able to see that from a schematic standpoint, being able to have that knowledge as I’m breaking down film throughout the course of the season, that definitely was something that played a part in me going back to that and seeing and remembering the concepts that guys were running.”
The defending champion Rams outpaced the Bears in every aspect offensively last season. They were eighth in scoring, fifth in passing yards per game and seventh in passer rating with Matt Stafford at quarterback.
The Bears, meanwhile, were 27th, 30th and 29th in those categories, respectively. They careened to 6-11 and fired coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace at the end of the season.
Robinson’s run with the Bears was fraught with friction.
After great performances in 2018 and ’19, he hoped to sign a long-term extension. That never materialized as the two sides disagreed on Robinson’s value. The Bears didn’t see production that merited paying him like an elite receiver, but Robinson believed his stats were weighed down by poor quarterback play and a dysfunctional offense.
He followed with another big season in 2020, then slipped to 38 catches, 410 yards and one touchdown in 12 games last season. Robinson played hurt throughout the season and got a career-low 66 targets.
In the end, he leaves as one of the most successful wide receivers in franchise history despite playing just 57 games. Robinson stands ninth all-time in receptions (293), 11th in yards receiving (3,561) and 21st in touchdown catches (18).
He did that amid the Bears ranking 26th in team passer rating during his tenure. They went 34-41 over his four seasons, following a 21-43 record by the Jaguars in Robinson’s four seasons with them.
Now he joins a Rams team that not only won the title, but is one of the favorites to win it this season. Stafford is by far the best quarterback he’s ever had. And their receiver corps is loaded with Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson and possibly Odell Beckham. And head coach Sean McVay’s offense is the envy of the league.
“They’re coming off a Super Bowl, and I’m coming here and I haven’t yet won a Super Bowl,” Robinson said. “Being around a group of guys that have experienced that and want to experience that again, for me, that’s only gonna help me get better and continue to push me.”
